


Home to vote

by sloganeer



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Ireland, Marriage Equality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 05:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4007488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sloganeer/pseuds/sloganeer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry makes sure Niall gets home to vote.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home to vote

Harry's phone buzzed under his thigh, but he made no move to fetch it. It would be Louis, out by the pool with the girls, demanding Harry get off his lazy arse and come join them. Harry had a baby snoring wetly into his neck. Harry wasn't going anywhere. 

They hadn't slept much last night. The concert went long, the Stones playing every hit they knew the fans wanted to hear. Harry could have gone home happy after a few songs with Louis's hips under his hands, grinding back on Harry, singing along, and demanding kisses because they knew the cameras weren't looking. 

But they had to say hello, of course. Mick offered them a drink, and then the conversation turned to songwriting, and eventually it was Alberto who told them it was time to go. 

Harry dragged himself into the shower, but Louis just face-planted on the bed. Harry stripped him down to his pants, and they were finally asleep by 5. 

By 6, Daisy and Phoebe were singing at the top of the stairs about bacon and waffles. 

When Harry's phone rang with a call instead of a text, he shuffled Dotty into his other arm so he could find his phone with his right. 

It was Niall. "What's up?" Harry asked. 

"I'm bored," Niall whined. He sounded muffled, probably slumped on his couch watching golf. 

Days off suck when there's no one else in town. But Niall should be headed home soon, and he'd see his dad and Theo and the rest of the family. 

"When's your flight?"

"What flight?" Niall scoffed. "I'm not moving from this couch until we go back on tour."

"Your flight home," Harry said. There was no answer, just Niall breathing and the sound of the TV on the other end. "Nialler, you have to go home to vote."

"Fuck, is that today?!"

"NIALL." Harry stood up, very lightly stomping over to the bed to put Dotty down with her brother before he woke them both. "I reminded you!" he nearly shouted down the line when he was out in the hall. 

"I know! I suck!"

"I should've bought you the ticket. I knew I should've bought you the ticket."

"I'm looking it up right now," Niall said, and Harry could hear him clicking on his laptop. "I can get there in an hour, no problem."

"Haven't you looked at the Internet today? Every Irish person in the world is heading home. Even if you could get on a flight, you'd be torn apart in the airport." 

"I'll get a charter!"

For Harry, Ireland's marriage equality vote was all he was thinking about last week. He and Niall were making silly plans to set up a stand outside the Mullingar polling station, hand out water and fresh fruit for everyone in line, play a few songs with Niall on his guitar. 

"Put out one of your stupid hats," Louis had said, "and you'll collect a fortune."

But Harry forgot that marriage equality didn't mean the same thing to Niall as it did to him. It wasn't a vote for Niall's life; it was just a nice thing to have. 

"I'm coming back," he decided. Harry found his carry-on, still out from the Vegas trip, at the end of their bed. He kept an extra toiletries bag in there, so all he needed was a change of pants and something warm to wear on the plane. 

"What? Haz, no. I'll drive! I'll get there, I promise."

"Lou is sending his family to France tomorrow. We were heading back anyway. I'll ask Jeff for the jet."

"Oh, you'll just ask Irving Motherfucking Azoff for his jet, la di da, ya posh bastard."

"Shut it, and tell your dad to expect two for breakfast." 

Harry hung up without waiting for Niall to respond. He shoved some clothes in his bag, grabbed his charger off the wall, and a book from his bedside table. He stopped to put on some socks and shove his feet into the nearest pair of boots, then nearly ran into Jay on the stairs. 

"The little monsters still asleep?" she asked before spotting the bag in Harry's hand. "Where you off to, love?"

Harry slipped his phone in his back pocket after sending a text to Jeff. "Niall emergency," he explained. "I'm going to head back early."

"You'll miss the barbecue tonight," Jay said, but she leaned up to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Give our love. Hope everything's good."

"It will be," Harry promised. 

He found the rest of the Tomlinsons in the family room, wrapped up in towels and laughing their heads off. Fizzy spotted him first, waving as she squeezed water out of her hair. Then Harry felt Louis's eyes on him, and without speaking, they both moved out of the room and towards the kitchen. 

"Where are you off to, love?" he asked, the exact same cautious, wondering tone as his mother. 

It would've been easy to tell Louis the same thing he had told Jay. They were going back to London in a few days anyway. Louis wouldn't worry about Harry going home early. It had been more than a week with the whole family here in LA, then the awards in Vegas. Louis wouldn't begrudge Harry a break. 

But then Louis stepped closer, took the bag out of Harry's hand, and wrapped his arms around him so their chests were pressed together. He turned his head up and kissed the rough stubble on Harry's chin, and Harry felt the sick worry bubble up inside him until he had to say it out loud. 

"Niall forgot the vote."

"Oh, baby." Louis squeezed him tighter. 

"It's stupid," Harry said, and he wanted to hide in Louis's hair. 

"It's not stupid," Louis said. "It's important to you, and Niall knows that."

"Anyway," Harry said, stepping away, shaking out his hair, and trying to collect himself. "I'm flying over there and dragging his arse to the polls."

"Punch him in the cock for me, baby."

"Nah," Harry said. He felt his phone buzz and pulled it out to read the text from Jeff. He said they could be ready to go in an hour. "I think I'll just steal his hat."

"Please," Louis begged. "That thing is hideous."

Harry showed him the salads in the fridge for dinner and told him to ask his mom if he forgot which attachment to use to whip the cream. 

"I think I can handle one dinner alone," Louis said. 

"I'll call you when we land, and you tell me how it turned out, OK?"

They snogged against the front door for a few minutes, while they waited for Jeff to pick up Harry. He apologised for not saying goodbye, but it was easier to slip out when the girls were distracted. 

"They'll get over it," Louis said. "See you in a few days, love. Give the Irish hell."

-

Harry tried to sleep on the plane. He tried to listen to Glenne listing all the things she'd like to do while they were in London. He tried to ignore Jeff's worried looks. 

"I'm fine," he said for the last time. Glenne put her hand on Harry's knee, but he wasn't in the mood for comfort. "I'll be fine," he said. 

He texted Niall because he was afraid to call him. He didn't feel sure that he wouldn't get mad again. It wasn't fair to Niall when, really, Harry was mad at the world. 

He was mad at four years in the closet and a million lies in the news. He was mad at the paps, and the reporters, and sometimes Harry was even mad at the fans. He didn't have enough of himself left to give. 

Niall texted back that he and Mark would meet Harry at the airport. He was packed and ready to go. He said his dad was excited to see them both. 

Harry texted back a few emoji before finally falling asleep over the Atlantic, hair in his eyes, slumped in his seat. 

Jeff shook him awake long enough to steal Harry's house keys. 

"The flight crew is set," Jeff told him. "Don't worry about a thing."

Harry stood up to kiss them both goodbye, and then he was alone on a private jet, tired and worried and waiting. 

He didn't have to wait for long. Except instead of hearing Niall coming from afar, Harry didn't know he was there until there was a knock on the cabin door. 

"Come in, you tosser." Harry really hoped it was Niall. 

"Hiya," he said, poking his head around the door. He gave Harry a tentative smile, but his face fell just as fast. "Sorry." Niall dropped his bag on the seat. 

"No!" Harry stood up. "I'm sorry." He went in for a hug, arms as wide as he could stretch them, swooping in and making sure Niall couldn't squirm away. 

"I didn't get how important it was to ya. Got a right earful from Tommo last night."

"Sorry about that, too."

Niall didn't let go, so neither did Harry. He watched Mark step inside, quiet and careful not to interrupt them. Harry tried to smile.

"I think I just missed you," he told Niall. "This vote is totally important, and you're a cock because you forgot, but I just missed you."

Niall pounced on him, and they fell backwards onto the seats. His hat fell off, and Harry imagined Louis was smiling right now and didn't know why. 

"You just saw me last week," Niall said. The flight attendant came back to tell them to prepare for takeoff, so Harry got himself buckled in. Niall arranged himself on the seat with his feet in Harry's lap. "I was sleeping in your guest room, remember?"

But it wasn't the same because it wasn't on tour. Nothing felt like tour, and now, Harry knew, tour wouldn't feel like tour anymore either. They were headed back to an unfamiliar home, and no one wanted to talk about it.

"Tell me about golf," Harry said instead. He wanted to hear something happy. He wanted to see Niall smile.

He put up his hair as they stepped down off the jet. Harry had stolen a pair of Louis's sunglasses and with his hood up, he slipped through the airport without being disturbed.

Niall demanded a moment to sneak a peek at the crowds, though. They leaned over the railing to watch the people coming home, picking up their bags, high fiving strangers, and hugging mums and dads. 

"I was watching the photos go up on Twitter," Niall said. "Told you Ireland was the best country in the world."

"It's pretty great," Harry agreed. 

Once they were in the car that would drive them to Mullingar, Harry checked his phone, finding a few texts from Louis, a photo of a weird bird from Liam, and a missed call from his mum. 

"What did your dad say?" Harry asked as he listened to his mum's phone ring.

"He chewed me out, then asked what we wanted for breakfast. I told him sausages."

Harry winced. He had been trying to cut out meat lately. He wondered what Louis did with the portobello mushrooms Harry had marinated for the barbecue. 

His mum picked up with a happy "Hello!"

Niall shoved his face into Harry's phone. "Good morning, Anne!"

"Get off." Harry shoved him back. Niall stole his sunglasses in retaliation and plopped the mangy cap he'd been wearing all month on Harry's head. "Hi, Mum."

"Is that the lovely Niall I hear? Louis says you're in Ireland?"

"We're on our way to vote," Harry told her. Niall bumped his arm, then laid his head down on Harry's shoulder. The comfort was exactly what he needed. 

"Oh, H, that's great. I'm crossing my fingers!"

They chatted a while, making plans for when Harry and Louis were back in London together. It had been too long since he'd had a hug from his mum. 

Niall was on his phone, too, chatting with Liam and Louis in their group text. Harry read over Niall's head until he said goodbye to his mum and joined in. 

"Let's have a cookout when we're back in London," Niall said. "I'll even grill you some tofu, you wanker."

"Thanks, Nialler."

They only stopped long enough for Niall to run into the house and pick up his dad. Harry waited in the car, playing with Niall's guitar. Every time he took an extended break from practicing, his fingertips let him know.

The line at the union hall stretched out the door and around the corner. It was amazing already, and it wasn't even lunchtime.

"The vote is going quickly, isn't it?" Harry wondered aloud, watching a couple of young blokes holding the door for a gran and her shopping cart.

"Well, how hard is it to go in there and vote yes?" Niall said. 

"Mullingar is doing us proud today," Bobby said. 

"I wish we were allowed to talk about it." Harry twisted the extra guitar string curling out of the head around his finger. "Imagine how this vote would go if One Direction filmed a PSA."

"Soon," Niall promised him. "Hey," he said, bumping Harry's shoulder to get his attention. "Check out what Ed posted on Instagram."

Harry looked at the rainbow shamrock when Niall held up his phone, then he got out his own so he could like it. It was still early days. The fans would broadcast his activity across the internet, and Harry could feel like he did something. A little thing, nothing that would get the band in trouble, but something to encourage Ireland to get out and vote.

"Play me a song, Nialler."

"OK," he said, taking back his guitar and settling it across his chest. "But you have to promise not to sing louder than me."

"Absolutely not."

They played an old fashioned tune first, one that Harry had heard Niall sing before, but he still didn't know all the words. He hummed the verses and joined in on the chorus, looking to Niall's dad for the cues because Niall was playing to the crowd now. He played a couple more in Gaelic, riling up the crowd and frustrating Harry at the same time. He was giddy with it, dancing out of line and into the street. 

But when he came back to them, tuning down the guitar as the crowd waited for the next song, Niall thumped out the beat to a familiar tune.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. It was pretty impossible for Niall to go undercover in Ireland, and that was more true in Mullingar than anywhere else. But they knew him differently here. Once, he and Harry had been in the shops when an older gentleman wanted to shake his hand and congratulate Niall for everything he was doing for Ireland. There's nowhere in the world Harry can go where the fans don't ask for photos. But sometimes, walking the Mullingar streets, girls just wave and say hello from across the road.

"Are you kidding? We have to play it. It's our signature tune!"

So Niall played "What makes you beautiful" and Harry sang loud enough to drown him out. They played "Happily" next, for the occasion, then "Kiss you" and "Live while we're young," before Niall had to pass off his guitar to Harry for safekeeping while he and his dad went inside the union hall to vote.

The world didn't feel any different when he came back out, but Harry held up his phone and Niall posed in the doorway, his arm around his dad, the two of them smiling wide enough to make Harry cry.

He looked up and away to blink away the tears, and that's when he saw it. Overhead, in the distance, touching down between the houses at the end of the road. A rainbow, just for Ireland. Just for today.


End file.
